Shake Some Acton returned to the Hope & Anchor for a Christmas spectacular, and we caught it all!
Damn. Just when I thought I’d had a productive year, I find out that Shake Some Acton will have put on a whopping THIRTY gigs by the time 2024 draws to a close. Given that promoting gigs is undeniably more stressful than attending them (or writing about them), we hope that Santa will bring Mannie a bottle of something strong – goodness knows he deserves it. Mate, we salute you!
The Phobics were great when we saw them back in April at The Trinity in Harrow, and this time the Deptford quintet are back with a banger of a new album in ‘Gimme Cyanide’. It’s actually quite difficult to write hook-filled gems like ‘Give It A Go’ and ‘Brand New Jag’, let alone to play them with this much glorious abandon, but The Phobics make it all look as easy as eating ice cream. ‘Don’t Lay Your Flowers On My Grave’ – tonight dedicated to Johnny Thunders – remains our favourite, but there are no weak links on show tonight, and we implore you to check out that new album as soon as possible.
We’re happy to report that Fantazmaz are still their usual deranged selves, and that vocalist Thami is still an unstoppable whirlwind of energy. Tonight they play such intensity that drummer Jamie breaks his bass drum skin during ‘Does God Know Misery?’, forcing the band to take a break whilst a replacement is found. Like the Ramones, though, this lot are Too Tough To Die, and they soon crack on as frenetically as ever, with a scorching brace of ‘Warheads’ and ‘Violator’ (the latter a cover of Uruguayan punk stalwarts Motosierra) bringing the set to a close. A triumph against the odds.
Portsmouth crew The Glorias quite rightly know they’ve got the tunes, so from the moment they hit the stage with ‘Roll Up, You’re Next’, they don’t waste a minute. Theirs is a no-nonsense blend of punk, pub rock and pretty much everything else that’s great about rock n’ roll; if fizzing solos and catchy riffs could fly, then Heathrow would have nothing on the Hope & Anchor tonight. Vocalist Den has stage presence to burn, and bassist Nish is no slouch either, venturing into the crowd to play among the people on more than one occasion. Superb stuff.
Deaf Devils have come all the way from Spain, and they clearly don’t care if tonight’s crowd is relatively calm – they’re here to party. All clad in white, yet plying a trade in filthy punked-up rock n’ roll, they’re relentlessly entertaining and compelling. At times, the quartet are reminiscent of a female-fronted Turbonegro, and in particular, the suitably explosive ‘Boom’ is built around the kind of spidery riff that would have Happy Tom’s crew green with envy. Throw in a frenzied cover of The Damned’s ‘New Rose’, and a reconstruction of the drum kit in the centre of the crowd (for the last few songs), and they can definitely chalk this one up as a victory.
Trust us – if you were too full of mince pies and brandy to come out tonight, you missed out on a great one. Thanks to SSA for having us, and here’s to many more superb gigs in 2025!
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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